EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE Volleyball will kick off the 2026 season this weekend at the Arkansas Razorback Invitational. The Cougars will take on the University of Arkansas on Friday (7:00 pm), followed by matchups with both UT Arlington (11:00 am) and UTSA (5:00 pm) on Saturday.
 
SIUE will be walking into unfamiliar territory this weekend, having faced Arkansas and UTSA just once each in program history, and their first-ever meeting with UT Arlington coming on Saturday.
 
A NEW LOOK: The 2026 roster welcomes seven new additions, including four freshmen (Georgia Bresnahan, Charlotte Dudik, Mackenzie Higgins, and Ashlyn Shulze) and three transfers (Aubree Hummel, Karli Mann, and Jehireh Williams).
 
TRANSFER TALK: All three transfer additions join the Cougars as juniors, each bringing two years of collegiate volleyball experience to SIUE. Aubree Hummel previously played at Hillsborough Community College (Tampa, Fla.), while Karli Mann was at John A. Logan College (Carterville, Ill.), and Jehireh Williams comes from Harris Stowe State University (St. Louis, Mo.).
 
PRESEASON HONORS: The 2026 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Preseason Poll has SIUE predicted to finish sixth overall in the conference with a total of 63 points, voted by head coaches and sports information personnel within the OVC.
 
Also receiving recognition in the polls were senior middle blocker Vienna Elliott and junior outside hitter Sophie Robinson, who were named as the Cougar's "Players to Watch" throughout the 2026 campaign.